5/4/11

riddle me this...

Being that NYC will be where I am spending the next few days, I got to thinking about the age old question... Chicago style or New York style? We are talking about pizza here, people. I personally have had neither from their places of origin, however, that will all be changing in about the next 72 hours. Apparently people get scrappy defending their pie, so vT is here to break down a few keys differences between the two styles of italian goodness.

1.| The Crust- we ALL have an opinion on what kind of crust we like. New York style fancies the thin crispy crust, thin layer of sauce and cheese, and is baked where the edges are crispy and the center in tender,while Chicago boasts inches of crust, pools or tomato sauce and toppings piled a mile high.

2.|Foldability- NY style pizza can be folded up like a sandwich, making it great for those on the run.. or the cabbies flying down Broadway, while Chicago style needs a fork, knife, chair and lots of napkins.

3.| Crust to Cheese Ratio- IMPERATIVE in my humble opinion. NY style makes the cheese more of a star, where in Chicago style the crust shines, and the sauce....

4.| Oil content- I personally have never thought much about this until now, however, after it has been brought to my attention, I will be watching closely for oil content on my travels. You can find a nice little pool of oil atop your slice in the Big Apple, but the Windy city style like to distribute the oil a little more evenly throughout.

5.| Slice and serving style- You can pretty much slice a pizza pie however you like from NY because the thin crust makes simple. You want triangles of pizza or squares? Chicago style stays with the traditional slicing style.

6.| Topping density- NY style likes to keep the toppings skinny, not saying they are lacking, but just evenly and thinly distributed, but if you are hanging in Chi-town, be prepared for stacks and stacks of toppings! How about 4 inches of them!?

7.| Type of dough- Chicago can be thick and chewy, or crumbly, depending on which way your Nana likes to make it. Oil and butter can be added making it similar to a shortbread. NY style goes old school with the basic flour, oil and yeast mixture. Chewy but NEVER doughy, New Yorkers like their crust crispy.

8.| Chew factor- {Something to think about if you are on a first date} Do you want you date to fold several pieces of pizza up like a sandwich and eat it in a New York minute, or do you want you date to sit with a knife and fork with sauce over his endearing little face?

Tell me readers! Any thoughts!? I will be trying my first ever NY style pizza this weekend. Wish me luck!... Now, on to planning a trip to Chicago to ride the Farris wheel and delve into a big slice of deep dish!